


Sam's Last Night

by Io (thisismygenesis)



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Gen, Infected, Zombie-fication, loss of sanity depicted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-19 02:48:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2371697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisismygenesis/pseuds/Io
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>That fate is whatever has already happened.<br/>The brain, which is as elemental, as sane, as the rest of the processing universe is.<br/>In this world, I am the surest thing.</p>
  <p>
    <b>- Katy Lederer, <i>That Everything’s Inevitable</i> -</b>
    <br/></p>
</div><p>Just an account of Sam's last night. The Whole. Wretched. Thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sam's Last Night

Through the door, Sam heard the voices of his group. Joel’s low voice remembering some story of a motorcycle. His brother Henry’s shouts of disbelief. Ellie laughing at him. He heard them, but they were mostly background noise as he stared at his leg.

By the light of a single candle, he could see the damage: three scratches the size of fingers (or claws), each about an inch in length. The blood had dripped down his leg and dried, but it had felt warm as it slid into his shoe. That feeling had been how he knew he was Infected.

He slid the leg of his jeans back down over his sneakers when he heard the talking grow quieter, pushing the candle back by the cans on the table. He was staring at the table, almost wishing to burn a hole right through when the door opened.

“Well, its safe to say those two have officially bonded.” With a quick glimpse, he saw that it was Ellie. He heard her as she approached the table, before she asked, “What are ya doin’?”

Sam sighed. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? “Taking stock of all the food we found today.”

“I see...” Ellie picked up a can and scanned it. “And how are we doing on canned peaches?”

He looked up at her, grabbed the can and put it back on the table. “Did Henry send you?” To Sam, there was no other reason for her to come bother with him.

She glanced to the side. It was slight, and he normally wouldn't have caught it, but he did, and he grew suspicious. “No,” she answered and started to laugh it off. “Why would Henry send me?”

He couldn't make eye contact with her so he faced the floor. “To make sure I’m not fucking up somehow.” Like he already had.

“Pshhh...” With that reaction, Sam watched as Ellie leaned onto the table. “I’d say we all did pretty good back there - especially you.” Yeah, right.

The boy rose from his chair and walked towards the window, instinctively keeping his weight off his left leg. He leaned on the window frame so his body could block the glare from the candlelight. Through the glass, he could see the city where it had happened. Full of moonlit shadows from old cars and worn down houses. He could almost hear the clicking....

“Well... Is everything alright?”

Slowly, he tore himself away and found her staring at him worried. Something inside him pulled, and he wanted to tell her - but what would she do? Except shoot him?

“Everything’s fine.” He went back to the window. The dark outside was easier on his tired eyes.

“Okay..... Well.... Have a good night.”

Her words bothered him and Sam turned, sharply exhaling like he’d been holding his breath and he’d forgotten about it.

“How is it you’re never scared?” His words had her coming back into the room.

The girl almost seemed like she was offended. Almost. “Who says that I’m not?”

He didn't believe her, and shrugged off her question. “What are you scared of?”

Her hands found each other in front of her as she took a couple steps towards the center of the room.“Let’s see...” She started, but then paused for a while. “Scorpions are pretty creepy.” Laughter. She laughed it off, but that only frustrated him more. And he didn't understand why.

He went back to his window - and the clicking - it was something he could understand.

“Um... Being by myself.” Her words pulled him back to her. This time he watched her face instead of staring past her, through her. “I’m scared of ending up alone. What about you?”

“Those things out there,” he answered, gesturing to the window. Towards the faint and familiar sound of clicking. When she asked, he didn't even think about it. Sam looked down towards the floor. Towards his leg, towards the bite, towards the inevitable, before catching Ellie’s eyes again. “What if the people are still inside? What if they’re trapped in there, without any control of their body? I’m scared of that happening to me.”

He turned his back to her again. Had he said too much? Would she figure out his meaning? He shifted and tried to catch a glance of her reflection in the glass, but couldn't make out anything.

“Okay, first of all, we’re a team now.” As Ellie spoke, he faced her, rotating on his good leg. “We’re gonna help each other out. And second, they might still look like people, but that person is not in there anymore.”

Sam’s right leg was growing tired of carrying all his weight, so he shifted uncomfortably.“Henry says that. ‘They've moved on.’ That they’re with their families. Like in heaven.” His voice grew serious as he remember his brother’s false explanations. “Do you think that’s true?”

Maybe they wouldn't be such lies if Ellie believed them?

“I go back and forth. I mean, I’d like to believe it.”

“But you don’t.”

Her face scrunched up, considering his statement. “I guess not.”

“Yeah... me neither.” And he retreated back to his window.

“Oh...”Sam saw Ellie shrug off her back and put it on the table. As she dug into it, he approached, carefully. “All this serious talk I almost forgot.”

She pulled out a red and white and blue toy and placed it next to a few cans. “There.”

Sam picked up the toy, remembering when he’d first seen it just the night before. A Mecha toy. His brother used to tell him about TV shows with giant robots that would turn into cars. The toy had reminded him of those times.

“If he doesn't know about it, he can’t take it away.”  She picked up her backpack and headed for the door, while Sam still regarded the toy  like a foreign object. “Alright. I’m pooped. I’ll see ya tomorrow.” The door opened and closed for the last time.

He watched Ellie go, unsure if he’ll see her again or if he’ll even know he’s seeing her again. Her gift still in his hand, he glanced at it. She hadn't figured it out. He threw the toy down and watched it bounce under the table.

A little part of him had wished she had so she could put him out of his misery. But he was too scared to ask directly. Too scared of it being the end. BANG! and you’re gone. Just like the one that attacked him. It just didn't seem real.

He sat down in the chair and leaned down to lift his pant leg again.

Being Infected didn't seem real either.

**\---**

Sam’s leg started to itch. Like a mosquito bite did. The more you scratched it, the itchier it got.

The sores started to build up a rash, but then he rolled down his pant leg, not wanting to look at it anymore.

His eyes grew very tired. The light started to hurt them, so he blew out the candle, finding comfort in the dark.

And when the flame went out, the buzzing got louder. He could almost hear it vibrating against the glass. He took a step towards the window, but missed his footing a bit and stumbled forward. Tripping over something hard and plastic.

It hurt. His leg hurt, it felt like it was on fire. It itched and burned so bad.

But the heat started in around his face, like above his right eyebrow. And his neck.

Though the light was off, his eyes still hurt. They were getting blurry. With a red haze.

The burning rushed under his skin. His fingers started to twitch.

The moonlight grew fuzzy. The clicking echoed in his ears. Buzzing.

He closed his eyes and covered his ears, but it only got louder.

His skin was so itchy. All over.

Then, a spot about his eyebrow stopped itching.

But the burning continued.

His hand went up, and felt something small. Something there. On his face.

He scratched at it and saw something fly towards the ground.

Pain! So much pain! _Make it stop!_

His hand met his eyebrow again.

Something new was there. And on his cheeks.

When the sun rose, he stood there.

Groaning in pain as the fungus took over.

Just standing there.

_Sam?_ A touch on his shoulder.

He turned and lunged.

Clawing and scratching.

Growling at the source of the noise, the fuzzy shape.

That sounded like.. Ellie? _Ellie who?_

_Sam!_ They fall to the floor.

He’s still fighting the screaming thing. Why won’t it stop!?

More shouting. Over there! But this, here, still screaming.

**BANG!** _...cking brother!_

Still clawing.

Still fighting.

**BANG!** The fight was over.

Something... cold had entered the back of the head. And sat there.

Warm stuff oozed out. From the head. From the throat. He choked.

He felt life leaving him. _Henry?_

The buzzing died.

And as Ellie shoved him off her... he died, too.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally I had an idea for a contest, but the deadline came and went before I could even start. But I still had all this ideas running around, so I ended up writing it and posting it on here (lucky you! lol). The prompt for the contest was write about a moment from your fav video game, and though I don't really have any favs, this game was the last I played that _really_ stuck with me and this moment in particular was a really hard one.  
>  -  
> The rest of the poem can be found [here](http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/everythings-inevitable). Most of my references came from The Last of Us Wikia pages about Sam, cordyceps, the Infected symptoms, etc. But my reference for the scene was this [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBJLBYdDwVw) by Generic Gaming. Because of it, I was able to get all the dialogue right.


End file.
